Germania Bank Building ~ 190 Bowery is a Pop-Up Totokaelo

Main Floor of what use to be the Germania Bank Building, 190 Bowery in Soho

So, what every happened to the old Germania Bank Building that Jay Maisel bought in 1966 for $102,000 and sold to the developer Aby Rosen for $55 million in 2015. We took a walk through the iconic building this week.

190 Bowery in 2016Many of the original details at 190 Bowery are still there, Image taken 4-14-18

This is a temporary location for a year, at which time Totokaelo will return to 54 Crosby Street, its first location in NYC. And what’s the rent? A cool $2 million a year for the ground floor, mezzanine and basement.

Many of the original details from the Germania Bank Building are still in tact

The building, constructed as the third home of Germania Bank in 1898, now showcases such well-known brands as Maison Marginal, Marni, Lanvin, Dries Van Noten and several others. all lavishly displayed within the 8,917 square feet of this Landmarked (2005) property.

Original tile floor, radiator, and marble walls at 190 Bowery

Walking down to the basement level, 190 Bowery

Making our way down to the basement, we were encouraged to see the same original details visible from when we paid 190 Bowery a visit in 2015 for an art exhibit, and again in 2016 after the exhibit closed, and removed its sleek white temporary walls.

Lower level (basement) at 190 Bowery, including the vault

The basement vault has several layers of closure, including the outer cage. This is the first time we’ve seen the vault open. We walked right in.

The Bank Vault in the basement was wide open, with a huge shoe displayCloser peek into the vault in the basement of 190 Bowery – a perfect place for shoes

Yes ~ the interior of the vault is a shoe salon, with plenty of seating to try on four walls of beautifully displayed shoes.

We are inside the vault! Take a seat

Moving on within the basement, nicely arranged displays.

In the basement, 190 BoweryBasement, 190 Bowery

After the sale of 190 Bowery to Aby Rosen in 2015, Vito Schnabel took the space for a temporary art exhibition entitled First Show/Last Show. We were on hand for the opening ~ image below of artist, Julian Schnabel large format works to the left and artist, Joe Bradley to the right.

First Show/Last Show by Vito Schnabel at 190 Bowery, 2015Art exhibit, First Show/Last Show. Take note of the two vaults on the right side of the image

And when the exhibition closed, we went back in 2016 to take a look at the large, empty space (below).

Totokaelo NYC , a fashion boutique for men and women, will be located at 190 Bowery, on the corner of Spring Street, Soho through the summer, and into the fall. Open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm and on Sunday from 11am to 6pm.